Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-02-02
(Confinued from yesterddy.)
LITTLE TU'PENNY.
BY 8. Barring GOULD.
CHAPTER XIV.
ONCE MORE.

CHAPTER XIV.
ONCE MORE
A fortnight had passed since Trip had
made the discovery that her husband was
one of gang of burglars and that this
gang had taken the Ringwood plate.
1t was night. The wind was high,
blowing from the northwest over the
clayland level, and roaring in the trees OF
the park. The only light visible is in the
mill. Although night, the sails are flying,
the miller is at work, the stones are
grinding, the shifter is shaking out the
fine flour from the thick. The light from
the mill traces broken thread of fire in
the dixie, broken because of the duck
weed which covers the water.
There are stars in the sky, no moon;
but the stars suffer eclipse from the
great clouds that are rolled over the
heavens by the wind, then shine forth
again bright and frosty Away in the
direction of London is dull, red, auroral
glow, the reflection of the great city in
the haze that overarches it.
Along the London road from the city
creeps female figure, feebly, impingly.
AS she comes to the gate leading to the
mill she looks up at the light and stands
trembling and sobbing-then she creeps
on again, foot-sore limb weary, toward
the park
Half an hour after she is at the keepers
lodge, knocking timidly, then louder, but
ever in vain at the door Then she goes
to the window and looks in, and can just
make out that the interior is bare, no
curtains, no blinds, no sign of the house
being inhabited. She falls on the doorstep
and weeps, and yainly knocks again, but
the knock sounds hollow. There is,
there can be no response, Mr.. and Mrs.
Redfern are no longer there. After the
burglary at the hall, the keeper fell under
suspicion for having introduced Mr..
Beaufort. whom the detectives pro-
nounccd to be the head of well known
gang which the police have been unable
to break up or apprehend.
Mr. Tottenham was peremptory man,
and, when he saw that the keepers fam
lily had facilitated the execution of the
robbery, Redfcrn was dismissed immedi-
ately, at a weeks notice, without a
character. The same fate attended the
butler, Mr. Thomson, and the house
keeper, Mrs Podgngs.
Two hours later the same feeble, foot
sore figure rctraced her steps, and came
against the gate leading to the mill.
Trip it was; but, altered, broken in
spirit and in body; Trip, now utterly
alono in the world.
She could walk no further. Her house
shoes were worn off her feet; her stock
ing soles, the soles of her feet worn
through. She was in her crushed straw
berry gown, with dark cloak over it,
the crisp, clean, bright dress of few
weeks ago was now crumpled, soled,
draggled, like the spirit Of her who wore
it.
From the moment she had uttered that
cry, "Thc Ringwood plater' conscious
ness had deserted her. She could recall
fierce face, white, with gistcning eyes,
and pair of false whiskers half fallen
Off, before her. and hand raised, grasp
ing silver candlestick, a vivid, horrible,
haunting sight, and she remembered
nothing more till she woke in her bed
room with an aching head, that was ban
daged, and with a smell of vinegar in her
nose.
She was on her bed; she turned her
head and saw blood on the pillow, and
turned again and saw the face of Nelly.
"You're come round at last, are your"
said the woman. "Well, you'll have to
get round quick. l amt going to nurse
you forever You never ought to have
been brought here"
BY degrees poor Trip learned that she
had been knocked down and stunned
that quarrel had been the result be-
tween her husband and his "pals" who
had struck her, and that the three men
had made off with the plate out of the
country, or, at all events, into safe quar-
ters. The house had been cleared Of
what little furniture there was, only
Nelly remained to watch Trip Mr.
Beaufort, as he called himself, and who
really loved the poor girl, had ordered
Nelly, one of the gang to be with Trip
till she recovered, not only for Trips sake,
but for the safety of the party. She was
to be kept under guard, not allowed to
leave the house for some days, till the
gang had escaped, and danger of pursuit
from information furnished by Trip was
over.
Accordingly Nelly had nursed and at
tended to Trip till she was sufficiently
recovered to leave, and then had turned
her out of the house, which sh also de-
serted The house had been taken under
false name with false references, and
had been made the headquarters of the
gang, where they had defaced and melted
the silver and jewelry which they OBJ
tanned. After the great burglary at
Ringwood, it was advisable to shift quar-
tiers.
This. then, was the end of poor Trips
ambitious flight She was married to Il
ruflian who, if he came into the hands
of justice, rs was inevitable before long,
would suffer penal servitude. That the
name of Beaufort was false she was we'll
assured; what his real name was she did
not know The wife of a professional
burglar now the wife of n convict here